Vibration control members and devices such as mounts and isolators generally limit or greatly reduce the transmission of vibratory disturbances between first and second members, and such first and second members may respectively comprise a frame or base and a seat or engine for example. Well known prior art mounts comprise a suitable combination of resilient and rigid component parts and such component parts are assembled before or during mount installation. The number of discrete component parts comprising such mounts may be significant and as a result, installation and assembly of the mounts is frequently difficult and time consuming.
Over time, as a result of the repetitive vibratory loads applied to the mounts, the mounts become less effective in their control of such vibratory disturbances. Frequently, one or more of the resilient components is the first mount component part to degrade and require replacement. Repairing resilient members is difficult. In order to repair the mount, the mount must first be removed from its working environment. The resilient member, which is bonded to one or more rigid mount members, must be scraped from the rigid bonding surface or the elastic section must be otherwise removed from the bonding surface before a replacement resilient part can be effectively bonded to the rigid surface. Such repair is time consuming causing equipment down time and generally repairing prior art mounts may not be accomplished in an efficient, simple manner.
In many instances mounts are designed for use in a particular application where a typical range of magnitudes and frequencies of the vibratory disturbances is known to the person designing the mount. The mounts are designed to effectively reduce the vibratory disturbances expected to be encountered within the known identified range of magnitudes and frequencies. As part of the design process a resilient material believed to be suitable for such an application environment is integrated into the mount design. In practice, it may be determined that the resilient material is not effective for the specific application. For example, the mount may ultimately be used in an environment that produces vibratory disturbances that are outside the previously identified anticipated range of magnitudes and frequencies. As a result, in order to effectively reduce such changed vibratory conditions, it is desirable to more precisely tune the mount by replacing the selected resilient material with a different material that is deemed to be better suited to reduce the actual vibratory disturbances. Tuning the elastomer in present prior art mounts is difficult. Typically in order to tune the mount, the mount must be replaced. Due to the cost associated with such replacement, the mounts are usually not replaced and precisely tuned to the stiffness required for an actual application environment. As a result, the seat occupant, vehicle operator or component part or system is exposed to vibratory disturbances which affect the useful life of the mechanical components and will likely impart significant discomfort to the seat occupant or vehicle operator.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present mounts. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative that allows the mount to be easily repaired and accurately tuned for changing operating environments and at the same time offer elastic characteristics difficult to obtain in prior art mounts. Accordingly, a suitable alternative mount is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.